


Domino Effect

by chaoticmxinds



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-05
Updated: 2016-05-08
Packaged: 2018-06-06 13:09:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6755401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaoticmxinds/pseuds/chaoticmxinds
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The dominos fell, too quickly, one by one. But what happens after? We all know the story of those involved, but what about those surrounding it? Everyone had to deal with the repercussion of the events in the past few days, Sharon Carter included.</p><p>Contains major spoilers from Captain America: Civil War, set after the post-credit scenes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to keep the summary brief, for the sake of those who haven't seen the movie yet (but you have been warned before you decide to read this fic!). As you all gathered by now, this is a Sharon-centric fic. It will mainly be in her perspective, but sometimes it may be in another person's should I feel the need to write it in their POV.

They were safe, for now. Bucky, Sam, Wanda, Clint and Scott — Steve was responsible for all of them. He was the one who dragged them into this mess so eventually he was going to break them out after being captured for the chaos he started at Leipzig. Hell, he didn’t even expect things to end up like that. Sam said it wasn’t his fault, but still, all of this wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for him.

But not everyone was safe yet. There were still people on the hunt for those who aided him in any way during the events of the last few days. He couldn’t believe that everything happened only days ago — the fight at the airport, leaving the shield behind with Tony, Bucky going under again — and yet, there were still so many things he had to mend, so many people had yet to be brought to safety. 

There were actually several names he could name off the top of his head right now; he knew he had to act as soon as possible before the government find them first.

The two men stood next to each other, staring at the forest surrounding the building — so eerie, so quiet. Steve was the first to speak up again after several minutes of awkward silence hanging between them. 

“Your highn—“ He began. 

“Please, Captain. Call me T’Challa.” The man said with a calm tone. 

“Then call me Steve, not Captain.” He wasn’t sure if he deserved that title anymore, really. “T’Challa, I need to ask for one more favour.”

“Say no more, Steve. Whatever it is, I will agree to it. It’s the least I can do for blaming the wrong man for my father’s death.”

 

* * *

 

Sharon Carter was a fugitive.

Well — not yet, anyway. But soon, she would be one. The fight at the airport acted as a good distraction and bought her a few more hours before the CIA would even catch on to the fact that she returned government properties to her fellow fugitives, Captain America and the Falcon to be specific. By the time she saw the fight on the news, Sharon had already landed in London and retrieved the duffle bag filled with a new passport and some spare clothes in case Sharon ever needed to go on the run. With their line of profession, Aunt Peggy was the one who told her to be prepared for the worst case scenario, and gave her the key to this tiny apartment should anything ever go wrong. Never in a million years did she think she would need to come here, though. She hadn't even been here when her Aunt was alive. But she wasn’t planning on staying; she just didn’t know where to head next yet.

The blonde had disposed her work phone as soon as she hauled the shield and wings into her car and went to meet Steve — that shield was actually heavier than she expected to be, a poor choice of weapon especially when she had to steal it without raising suspicion. The only personal belonging she brought back from Germany was her personal phone, one that only a few people had the number to. So it took her by surprise when the phone suddenly rang, the loud ringtone echoing across the room made her feel on guard and anxious once again. 

It took her even more by surprise when the caller ID flashed and Natasha Romanoff's name appeared on the screen.

“Was Germany too much for you?” The woman said as soon as she picked up the phone, no greetings needed.

Sharon couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the question, the sarcasm between the two women only had gotten worse through the years they had known each other. “Took a few personal days out, actually.” She knew Natasha wouldn’t believe her but she continued anyway. “Thought I’d at least deserve it. Why, do you miss me already? Last I heard, you were quite busy at the airport.”

“In your dreams, Carter. And yes, I was. I’m surprised you didn’t come and clear up our mess really.” Natasha sighed dramatically, which made Sharon smile. “Since you’re free for a few days, how do you feel about going on a mission off the books?”

“Depends what the mission entails.” She responded quickly, but she already knew what her answer was going to be, and Natasha did too.

“I can’t spoil the surprise for you now, can I?” She could almost sense the other woman smirking over the phone. “Wheel’s up in thirty. Sending you the location now.”

Natasha hung up before Sharon could even say anything else. The fact that she knew her location right now was probably the least surprising thing to discover today. 

 

* * *

 

Many questions gathered in her mind as Sharon was on her way to meet Natasha: what the hell happened during the chaos at the airport? What happened to everyone else? She knew somehow Steve and Bucky managed to escape, and those who helped Captain America were captured. But where were they kept in captivity? Nat seemed okay, but is she really alright? She didn’t even want to think about Tony right now, thinking about him only amplified the anger inside her.

The red head was easy to spot as soon as Sharon set foot on the private jet, and the plane began to move before she could even settle comfortably on the seat across from Natasha.

“Where are we going?” Sharon asked as she secured her seatbelt across her waist.

“Nice to see you too, Blondie. And you’ll find out when we land.” Nat smirked. Sharon was about to ask more questions, but her friend got to that before she could even utter another word. “Why are you in London, anyway? I’m surprised you can even take any days off, considering they’ve got their hands full back in Germany. Unless…” She trailed off, arching a brow at her. “You’re not planning on going back to the CIA, are you?”

“No,” She sighed, running a hand through her hair. “I’m not. I can’t.” Nat gave her a look, expecting her to continue. “You have to wonder how Rogers and Wilson got their shield and wings back, right? Well, that was me.” Then fucking Captain America kissed her, making her feel like a teenager all over again. Sharon tried not to let that thought crossed her mind too often, it was actually distracting, which was not helpful during a time like this. She specifically left that part out from this conversation though, now really wasn’t the time for her friend to tease her about it during this plane ride. Considering the woman sitting across from her was the one who told him to contact her after SHIELD had fallen, she knew Nat would be gloating if she knew anything happened between her and Steve. 

“While you were all busy with looking for Barnes…and recruiting other people,” She gave a pointed look at the woman, although she merely shrugged at her. “It wasn’t like they’d keep their eyes on their government properties, so I took my chances. But they’ll find out eventually that it was me, I’m sure. But you know, you guys destroying the airport sort of bought me some time to get what I needed in London. So thanks, I guess.” She shrugged, attempting her best to keep this conversation as lighthearted as she can. 

“Why did you do it?” She understood Natasha wasn’t questioning as though she had betrayed her, but in fact she was trying to understand why she did it. Why her job was worth sacrificing for people that to Nat’s knowledge, didn’t know very well.

“Because I knew Barnes wasn’t guilty for the destruction at the UN, and it was the right thing to do.” She replied, her expression indifferent. She'd never question her trust in Steve Rogers, and neither did Aunt Peggy. “I wasn’t going to work for people who are clearly chasing after the wrong person. I’ve worked for the wrong people once already, I wasn’t going to do the same again.”

They were quiet for a moment. Sharon was waiting for Natasha to say something, her eyes focused on the woman sitting opposite her, then that infamous smirk stretched across her features once again. “You like him.”

“Seriously, that’s all you got from that?” She rolled her eyes at her.

“I didn’t know you two were close.”

“We’re not.” Not _that_ close, anyway. “We kept in touch after SHIELD fell, you knew that. You’re the one who told him my real name, and told him to call me.”

“That, I did. But I didn’t know he actually had the balls to call you. Or that you two were close enough for you to give up your job for a fucking shield.” _Damn it_ , Sharon thought if she was friends with both Steve and Sam, it only made sense for Natasha to know, too.

“Well, he called. We’re friends, that’s all.” She said almost too defensively, crossing her arms in front of her. “And I didn’t do it just for him, like I said, it was the right thing to do.”

“Playing the double agent isn’t always fun, you know.” Her friend mumbled quietly. Even if Natasha didn’t say anything else, she knew there was a deeper meaning to those words. But again, now wasn’t the right time to ask. Sharon was thankful that Nat let the topic drop, but she knew her friend was bound to bring it up again. It was inevitable.

“I know,” She sighed. “Well, good job I didn’t get to play it for long then.” She said, glancing out of the window, before turning back to her friend. “Now, fill me in on everything that happened in the last 24 hours. I’m positive that the news missed out some important details, and you’re the best source I have right now.”

“The best source you’ll ever get, actually.” The comment caused Sharon to roll her eyes at Natasha again, but a smile remained stretched across her features. Until nothing but seriousness was hanging in the air, as her friend delved into the details of the events happened in the past few days.

 

* * *

 

Sharon managed to catch about two hours of sleep by the time Natasha shook her awake, causing her to scowl at the woman, since she was typically in a bad mood whenever she didn’t catch enough sleep. It took her a while before she could fall asleep; her mind was buzzing with the new information Nat gave her, feeling overwhelmed by them, more questions raised by these information. They were beginning to reach their destination, and the blonde looked out of the window as the clouds began to clear, curious as to where her friend decided to bring her.

It didn’t take long before she spotted the big ‘A’ printed on the roof of the building.

“Nat,” Sharon narrowed her eyes at the red head, suddenly feeling betrayed by her friend. “What the hell are we doing here? We shouldn’t be here. _You_ shouldn’t be here. You know this is the first place they’ll come to find you, right?” And she didn’t want to see Tony, not yet anyway. Not when she was still pissed at him and her visit was only going to add fuel to the fire.

“They’ve probably already looked. Which means they won’t come looking again for a few more days.” She said matter-of-factly, like it was something obvious that she should’ve known. “I'm sorry, Sharon.” She had a feeling that Nat wasn’t really that sorry. The woman rarely apologized for anything. “It was the only way I can drag your ass out here. You being on the run and not a CIA Agent anymore definitely made it easier for me.” She gave Sharon a shrug before continuing. “Just stay here for a day, okay? Then you’re free to take the jet and head to somewhere else. But trust me, you needed to come here.” 

Sharon pursed her lips and didn’t say another word as she turned to the window, the Avengers logo grew bigger and the plane descended lower to the ground. This wasn’t how she planned her first visit to the facility. In fact, she didn’t think she’d set foot anywhere near this place for as long as she was a CIA Agent.

Too bad Sharon didn’t work for the CIA anymore.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yes, I brought Sharon to the Avengers Facility for selfish reasons, since something I wanted in the movie was that she would interact with most characters in the movie. Since that didn't happen, I will try my best to develop those relationships! This is my first fic, so I hope you've enjoyed reading the first chapter! Posting schedule will be sporadic, especially when I have upcoming exams to deal with.


	2. Chapter 2

When the CIA recruited Sharon, she knew her life was put under a microscope from the moment she stepped through the headquarters. She had a tail that she couldn’t shake off for over a year, found herself sweeping through her apartment for bugs everyday for that entire year. But she wasn’t dumb; she spotted her tail right away from day one. They followed her to make sure she didn’t end up reporting to someone suspicious at the end of the day, or contact anyone from her old agency, for that matter.

The training in SHIELD was more rigorous compared to the CIA, so it didn’t take her long before she was capable to become a field agent, but still, the agency didn’t trust her. While she wasn’t certain if they knew she was related to the founder of SHIELD, she knew they had doubts about bringing a former SHIELD agent into their offices. People whispered about her when she walked down the hallway, occasionally the word ‘HYDRA’ slipped through those whispers too. This was just like the time when Tony Stark visited her during her time at the SHIELD Academy, when everyone found out that she was a Carter.

Until she proved all of these people wrong.

Sharon took a different approach with the CIA though; she’d completely cut her ties to those who were even remotely associated to SHIELD. Well, that was she wanted people to believe, anyway. She kept her life separate to her old life before the Triskelion came crashing down. She didn’t have many friends back then, anyway. The only few people remained in contact with were Natasha, Maria Hill, and Tony. Then Natasha decided to give Steve Rogers her number too and that added to a total of five people on her phone, since Steve decided to give her Sam’s number in case of an emergency too. 

Those people weren’t exactly the few people the CIA would like to see she kept in contact with, so she kept those private phone calls to a minimum, only calling them when she really needed to. Sharon rarely crossed paths with any of them, anyway. But in case it ever happened, everyone besides Tony understood why she had to pretend as though she didn’t know them. She was certain that the agency would interrogate her for information if they knew she kept in touch with the five people who were either a part of the Avengers, or worked for them. Tony hired a team of lawyers to protect them, but she wasn’t part of that protection, even if he insisted on protecting her. She needed to work her way through the agency on her own, and having him sniffing around was bound to make it worse.

But Tony didn’t understand this; he thought she was ashamed to be associated with him, after the fall of SHIELD.

It might had been a surprise to everyone, but Tony Stark had always been somewhat a brother figure to her. Sharon knew him since she could remember, considering how close Aunt Peggy and Howard Stark were. When Tony’s parents died in a car crash, Peggy tried to take him in, despite how busy she was with building SHIELD. He declined the offer, of course. But it didn’t stop him from visiting every summer and spending time with her and Aunt Peggy. Her aunt was always busy, but Sharon’s parents were even busier with their jobs. So she spent more of her time around Aunt Peggy than anyone else, and gradually she grew up wanting to be half of the woman she was. 

So when Peggy Carter passed away, Sharon was more than angry at the fact that Tony didn’t even make an appearance at her funeral.

By that point, Sharon didn’t even talk to Tony anymore. The only time she was even remotely close to talk to the man was when she rang Pepper to ask if he was okay, after the event at Sokovia. She didn’t talk to Nat as often either, but her friend was a spy too, so she knew what being in this line of profession was like. But apparently he seemed to have a problem that. Maybe it was partly her fault for trying to keep her distance from him over the last two years, she was still bitter and hurt by the betrayal, to see her Aunt's hard work being destroyed right before her eyes. But what she didn’t expect was that he wouldn’t even understand her reasoning behind this, and she wasn’t sure if he didn’t turn up to the funeral was because of her.

Sure, he was busy with signing the Accords, being an Avenger and saving the world. But even Natasha turned up, despite needing to be in Vienna the next day. Being the professional, Natasha was indifferent and kept her face straight when they saw each other at the Joint Counter Terrorist Center. Tony, on the other hand, didn’t even cast a glance in her way. So much for keeping his anger in check, and Sharon fought the urge to roll her eyes at him to give away any signs that she even remotely knew him.

Sharon didn’t even try to speak to him after the Winter Soldier fought with them, and even though she was in the new Avengers facility now, she wasn’t planning on speaking to him during her short stay here.

“You’re both just as stubborn as each other.” Natasha commented as she took Sharon to one of the spare bedrooms in the facility, when her friend asked if she wanted to see the rest of the building.

“Not my fault he’s being an ass. I’ll be here if you need me.” Sharon dropped her bag in the corner of the room, before she flopped onto the bed. Her eyes grew heavy within seconds; exhaustion seemed to have finally caught up with her.

“You know,” Nat started. “It might be a while before you’ll be in the States again. He needs someone to talk some sense into him, Sharon. I don’t know what happened between him and Steve out there, but he’s not in the best state right now.”

Stifling a yawn, the blonde turned to her friend, who was still standing in the doorway. “Get Pepper to talk some sense into him, then.” She mumbled.

“You didn’t know?” Natasha arched a brow at her, as she looked at the woman, her brows furrowed with confusion. “They’re on a break. I haven’t even seen Pepper around in a while.”

“He still could’ve turned up to Aunt Peggy’s funeral.” She snapped, before letting out a sigh when she realized she’d placed her anger at the wrong person. “I’m sorry, Nat. I’m tired and…just give me a few hours, okay? I’ll catch up with you later.” She gave the woman a half-convincing smile, one that the woman returned, before closing the door behind her. The news about Tony and Pepper lingered in her mind, but fatigue was weighing heavily on her. Unstrapping the holster and placing the gun beside her bed, she didn’t even bother to get changed and crawled under the covers. Then within seconds, darkness consumed her.

 

* * *

 

It was pitch black outside when a voice woke her up. One that sounded so familiar, and for a moment, she thought she was back at the Stark Tower.

Until Sharon felt a figure towering over her.

“Shit!” The blonde jumped and reached for the gun by her bedside, pointing it at the stranger that flew— yes, flew, to the end of the bed.

“Miss Carter,” The voice sounded exactly like J.A.R.V.I.S., before recognition finally dawned on her, when she realized it was Vision facing the blonde. She’d only seen him on TV before, so it felt strange to finally meet the synthetic being in person. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I actually attempted to wake you several times, despite Miss Romanoff’s protest.”

“Please, just call me Sharon.” Sharon said when she finally calmed down, and placed the gun back on the bedside table. “I just…haven’t met you in person before. You took me by surprise, sorry. How did you get inside anyway? I couldn’t possibly have slept through someone coming into my room.” She had always been a light sleeper, despite enjoying her sleep so much. It was something that was built inside her since becoming an agent, considering she needed to be aware of her environment at all times.

“I actually came through the wall.” Vision replied, causing Sharon to raise her brows at him. Although that was possibly not the weirdest thing she heard before, she’d definitely dealt much worse during her time with SHIELD.

“Oh,” She uttered, unsure how to reply to that. “What did you need me for, anyway?”

“Mr. Stark would like to speak to you.”

“No, he doesn’t.” Sharon narrowed her eyes at him. Vision continued to stare at her, his expression neutral, unsure how to respond to that statement. Then the silence grew uncomfortable, so she had to break the silence again. “Do you mind telling me where Natasha is?”

“Upstairs, second floor, in the living area.” He replied immediately.

“Thank you, J.A.R— I mean, Vision.” She said with a smile.

“You’re welcome, Sharon. And what shall I tell Mr. Stark?”

“You can tell him where I am, if he asks for me again.”

 

* * *

 

Sharon quickly had a shower and changed into a hoodie and jog pants before heading up to the living area, where Vision said Natasha was. “Sleeping Beauty awakes.” The woman commented as she flopped onto the couch opposite the red head, and naturally she rolled her eyes at her, before she grabbed the remote and switched on the TV. The first thing she saw was the news, reporting on the chaos that happened in the last few days. She wondered if her face would ever appear on the TV, labeled as a fugitive. Or would the CIA keep her treason on a down low, since they failed to prevent so much from happening already? It would probably look bad on their agency to announce to the world that one of their own turned against them. Would they put their reputation before catching a fugitive?

“Have you spoken to him yet?” Natasha said as she took the remote from her before she could protest, turning the volume to mute.

“Who?” 

“You know who, Sharon. Don’t play dumb with me.” 

“No, I haven’t. Vision scared the shit out of me though.”

A laugh escaped Natasha’s lips at the comment. “Did he walk through the walls again?”

“Does he do that often?”

“Yeah. But me and Wanda told him he really needs to stop doing that, one day he’ll regret walking into something he didn’t want to see.”

“I’m surprised he hasn’t—“ Sharon stopped herself short when another person entered into the room, her eyes narrowed at the sight of the man almost immediately.

Tony Stark casted a glance in her way, before turning his back to her and proceeded to pouring himself a cup of coffee.

“I’m going to go.” Natasha announced, quickly leaving the room before Sharon could protest. Instead of making her way over to the kitchen, she picked up the remote, and turned the volume back up again.

“Fuck, will you turn that down?” Tony yelled over the chatter from the TV when Sharon decided to turn the volume even louder, to drown out the awkward silence between them.

“Can’t hear you, sorry.” She yelled back, feeling childish that they were bickering over the volume of the TV, but she wasn’t going to back down. 

“Fine, I’ve asked nicely.” Tony mumbled and tapped a few buttons on his device, then the TV went black, and silence consumed them once again.

“Hey, I was watching that—“ She turned to face him, finally meeting his eyes since he first wandered into the room. 

“What are you doing here?" 

“Oh, so now you’ve decided to talk to me? Not at Aunt Peggy’s funeral, but now?” She asked, arching a brow at him, not even making an effort to control her anger anymore. “You know the answer to that, you’re the one who asked Vision to pass a message to me. Don’t act like you didn’t know I was here.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t come to the funeral, Share. But that’s not what I mean, _why_ are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be with the CIA, or still in Germany? I would think they’d keep you busy, clearing up the mess at the airport and whatnot.”

A scoff escaped her lips at his words, her eyes narrowed as she glared at Tony. “Oh, well I’m glad you decided to bring that up! Did you know how stupid you were, Tony? You could’ve died. Look at Rhodey, look at what happened to him! This wouldn’t have happened if you listened to Rogers and actually understand who was behind the bombing. You signed the fucking Accords, which only made it worse! You’re such a hypocrite—“

“Barnes killed my parents. Did you know that?” 

Her eyes widened at his words. No, they died in a car crash. They both had known that for years. “No,” She managed to say after a moment. “Are you sure?”

“Am I sure? Of course I am! I’ve got a video to prove it and everything; do you want to watch it? I’m sure I have a copy of it somewhere—“

“You know it wasn’t him, Tony.” Sharon said quietly. “It was the Winter Soldier. HYDRA did this to him.”

“You too? Now you’re defending him as well? Whose side are you on, Sharon?" 

“The right side. If you weren’t so blinded by anger, and grief, you would be on the same side too.”

“I don’t think so—“

“I stole the shield.” Sharon cut him off before he continued to ramble on and yell at her again.

“What are you talking about?”

“Steve’s shield, and Sam’s wings. It was me. I was the one who stole and gave them back to Steve and Sam.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I did.” She sighed. “So I guess I’m a fugitive now, that’s why I didn’t want to be here in the first place.” 

“You—“ Tony took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, but clearly failing at this point. “You risked your job for _him_? You took his side, against mine? Am I not your family anymore, Sharon? Is this to get back at me for not coming to Peggy’s funeral?”

Sharon didn’t dare to look him in the eyes, but whether he felt betrayed or not, she needed to make him understand why she’d done what she did. “You know I wouldn’t mix my personal life with my work.” She stood up, and wandered over by the window, staring at the field surrounding them. “This wasn’t personal. I just…I’ve worked for the wrong people once, Tony. I had to shoot people that I thought was my friends— _colleagues_ when the Triskelion was crumbling down on me. I couldn’t do it, going after for the wrong guy again. You have to understand that.” She shook her head, mustering up the courage and turned to face him again. “I’m sorry about what happened to your parents, Tony. I really am. But I had to do what I believe is right, that’s why I helped him. I didn’t do this because we haven’t talked much for the last two years, I didn’t do it to piss you off. You have to understand that, Tony.”

“You still didn’t have to break the law to do the right thing!” He exclaimed. The anger was evident in his tone, but she could sense a hint of bitterness in his voice, too.

“And look how well that turned out last time?” She fumed. “And that’s big coming from someone who never liked to follow any rules whatsoever.”

“I—“ He stopped himself abruptly, shaking his head in frustration. She arched a brow at him, challenging Tony to continue, even though that was probably only going to make things worse.

For a few minutes, they just stood and stared at each other. Sharon shifted uncomfortably on her feet, unsure what to do. Then Tony took her by surprise and strode over, pulling her into a tight hug. Letting out a sigh, he pulled away, his eyes filled with mixed emotions. “You’re so fucking stubborn, I hate you.”

She scoffed at his words. “No, you don’t.” Despite what he said, Sharon could tell that the argument was over. The insult only made her feel better, lifting the weight that had been pressing against her since her arrival at the facility.

“They’re my parents, I’m still allowed to be angry, whether Barnes is responsible or not.” He sighed. “But I’m sorry too, Share. About everything. Not turning up to Peggy’s funeral, being a dick to you when you wanted to make a name for yourself at the CIA, and also back when you’re with SHIELD. I should’ve been there when you were in London, when you needed someone to be there for you. I’ve just been so…busy, with the Accords and the team splitting into two sides."

"And Pepper, too?" Tony looked up at the mention of Pepper, she could see the sadness in his eyes as soon as she brought her up. "Nat told me. I'm sorry, Tony."

"She's one of the many reasons why I chose to sign the Accords. When I destroyed my suits — I thought that was it. Then Ultron and Sokovia happened, and now this? She's probably made the right choice to step away from everything, I can't ask that of her anymore."

"Our lives have always been crazy from the moment we're born into the family, it's inevitable...for us, anyway. It's easy for people like us to understand it, in fact — it takes a lot for me to label something as crazy anymore. But Pepper? Even if she's been in your life for so long, sometimes it's just hard to let everything sink in, you know? You have time to mend things between you two, I'm sure of that." She took his hand and gave it a small squeeze. 

"We'll see about that." He shook his head. "Can we just…try and put this behind us? No more ignoring each other, yeah?” When she nodded, a smile finally stretched across his features, one that she missed seeing so much, one that reminded her of the times when the world wasn’t so shitty and not a single worry in their minds. “At least losing your job finally got you out here, and you didn’t like the CIA anyway, you hated working there. It's a win-win situation, really.”

“True,” She let out a small laugh, before nodding at him. “Now am I going to get a personal tour of this place?”

"Can't you get Vision to do that?"

"He's not your butler, you know. Plus I don't think I'd be around for long, so you need to make the most of spending some quality time with me." She grinned at him.

"Now why would I want to spend with you?" His face scrunched up in mock disgust, before he gave her a look of concern. "You can stay here, you know."

"And get you into more trouble? I can't do that." Before he could even protest, Sharon raised her hand at Tony to shut him up. "I can take care of myself, you know that."

"I know. I thought I'd ask anyway." He sighed and paused for a moment, before speaking up again. "I'm probably going to regret this...but I have something to show you."

"What is it, Tony?" Her eyebrows furrowed with worry.

"Just follow me." Stuffing her hands into the pocket of her hoodie, Sharon followed him and stepped into the elevator, before ascending upwards to the top floor. She hadn't even explored this place yet, so everything so far seemed foreign to her. When the doors opened, the large rooms and desks indicated that they were in their offices; and Tony led her to one of the bigger rooms, the gadgets scattered around the room clearly indicated that it belonged to him. He went around the desk and pulled out a box from one of the drawers, before tipping it sideways and a phone fell into his hand. Passing the phone to her, she took it without saying a word. She looked down at it for a moment, before she looked at him with confusion.

"What's this for?"

"Just use it, dial the number in the phone. There's only one number in it."

Sharon still didn't understand why he gave this to her, why she needed it to call anyone when she could use her own phone to contact people. But she trusted Tony, she opened the phone and dialled the number.

The phone seemed to ring forever, then finally it stopped. Someone picked the phone up. Neither of them said a word for a moment, and she held her breath, until someone spoke on the other end.

"Tony?"

"Steve," She breathed, before her head snapped up and met Tony's gaze. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out of her lips.

As much as it would take Tony time to come to terms with this, he was on her side.

Family always stuck by each other's sides.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There were so many things that we didn't get to explore with Sharon in the movie, and since she didn't interact with Tony or Natasha much, I had to be creative with why that never occurred. There were many little scenes that I enjoyed in the movie, one of them including Vision wandering through the wall in the middle of Wanda and Steve's conversation, so I thought I'd bring that into the fic as well. Tony and Sharon's relationship is something I really cherished and loved reading in other people's fics, so it was something I really wanted to explore here. And yes, we will finally get some more Sharon and Steve interaction in the next chapter, yay! This chapter was a bit longer than the last one, but I don't think I will be posting until my exams over now, so I hope you guys enjoy it until then! Also thank you so much for the lovely comments, I really appreciate them!


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